


The Best (most belated) Matchmakers Ever

by madlysanecatlady



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Date Night, Gladnis, M/M, at least they tried, silly noct and prompto, tied up gladio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 10:04:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15603921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madlysanecatlady/pseuds/madlysanecatlady
Summary: In which Noctis and Prompto adorably think they're the only ones who can see the way Gladio and Ignis feel about each other. And in which they try and scheme to get the two together.





	The Best (most belated) Matchmakers Ever

**Author's Note:**

> I just love it when Noct and Prompto try to help. 
> 
> I'm also just trying out something different from my usual. So uh, feedback welcome. :)

‘Prompto, be serious for ten seconds please,’ Noctis was uncharacteristically solemn as he outlined his plan in quiet whispers, just out of Gladio and Ignis’ earshot.

‘Sorry, yes, I’m listening,’ Prompto nodded sombrely. ‘You want to set Gladio and Ignis up. Ok.’ He paused, thinking deeply. ‘Why?’

‘Because look at them!’ Noctis waved dramatically in their direction.

Prompto followed his gaze, watching the two men walking in perfect sync, having a quiet conversation as they walked under the warm Duscaean sun. He looked more closely, noticing the way they seemed to gravitate towards each other as they walked, Gladio even occasionally placing a hand to the small of Ignis’ back on particularly uneven or slippery patches of terrain, both as a warning and to help steady them both. He could see where Noctis was coming from. He looked to him, surprised he hadn’t seen it himself before. ‘Yea, ok, I see what you mean.’

‘Ok, so how do we do this?’ Noctis whispered. ‘I guess first we need to convince them to stop in a town.’

Prompto nodded. ‘I think I can handle that,’ he pointed at his bright red face, clearly sunburned after so many days walking out in the sun. ‘ _Igniiiis_ ,’ he pulled out his whiniest tone.

‘What can I do for you, Prompto?’ Ignis stopped walking and turned around to look at him, concern knitting his eyebrows together as he took in just how red the pale blond had gotten.

‘My face _hurts_ ,’ Prompto pouted, knowing Ignis, ever the mother hen, was a bit of a sucker when his “children” were upset. ‘And look at my _aaaarms_.’

‘Shit, you look like a tomato, kiddo,’ Gladio did his best to subdue a chuckle, but knew he didn’t sound nearly as concerned as he should.

‘You haven’t been applying _nearly_ enough sunscreen,’ Ignis tutted, going over to grab one of Prompto’s arms to inspect the red, inflamed skin there. He moved his attention to Prompto’s cheeks and tsked. ‘We should stop by a nearby town for supplies, I suppose. And of course, get you out of the sun for a few days.’

‘Guess we’ll head back to Lestallum for a bit,’ Gladio shrugged, not exactly looking sorry about it. ‘We’ve got enough gil from hunts to put us up in the Leville for a few days.’

‘And then some,’ Noctis grinned, proud that he had been pushing them to take on more and more hunts lately, wanting to rake in a few gil to be able to set his plan in motion. ‘Maybe we can get _two_ rooms. I wanna be able to stretch.’

‘Like you don’t already take all the space anyways,’ Gladio rolled his eyes. ‘But you know what? Let’s do it. I could do with a few nights _without_ Prompto’s snoring.’

Ignis smirked. ‘Alright, it’s settled. Back to the car, everyone. And Prompto, do put on some sunscreen; it won’t do to burn _further_.’

Ignis hurried them along to the Regalia and packed them in in record time, settling into the driver’s seat and letting the top down in the early afternoon sun. ‘Well, we’ve got plenty of time to get there before dark, how lovely.’

‘Good, take the smooth roads then,’ Gladio pulled out his book. ‘It’s hard to read when the page is moving around all over the place.’

‘I shall endeavour to,’ Ignis smiled at him in the rear-view mirror and pulled out onto the road.

They arrived at Lestallum as the sun began to dip in the sky, casting a slight orange glow along the buildings as Ignis parked. Noctis hopped out over the closed door, earning himself a disapproving glare from Ignis, which he ignored, opting to smile innocently at his mentor instead.

‘Hey Specs, how’s about I get Prompto set up with some nice face creams and you and Gladio go shopping or something?’ he suggested in what he hoped was an appropriately light tone.

Ignis smiled. ‘Let’s get checked in to the hotel before we make any plans for the evening. I’d like to ensure we actually have a place to sleep tonight.’

Noctis deflated a little but allowed Ignis to lead the way to the Leville, not wanting to seem too eager to get Ignis and Gladio out alone together. He even let Ignis handle checking them in to their rooms, barely listening to the exchange as Ignis paid and received their room keys. Ignis handed one over to Noctis with a smile. ‘Get your things settled in, and keep Prompto out of the sun for goodness’ sake. Gladio, please take our things up to our room; I’ll take care of getting some ointment for Prompto’s burn.’

‘But –’

‘Noct, we’ll discuss everything else afterwards,’ Ignis cut him off firmly. ‘Once we have Prompto appropriately dealt with, we can discuss further plans for the next few days.’

Before Noctis could argue, Ignis had swept away, leaving them to stare after him. Gladio chuckled. ‘Best not argue with him, kid. You’ll just put him in a sour mood that I’ll have to deal with after you guys go off to slumberland.’

‘So maybe you should take him out after this, soften him up a bit,’ Prompto piped up. ‘Let him wander the spice market or something.’

Noctis shot Prompto a dirty look, worried he might be pushing it a bit too quickly, but Gladio smiled. ‘Yeah, let’s get you taken care of first, then we can look into making Iggy happy.’

They went up the stairs to their rooms. Noctis and Prompto were pleased to see they had a rather large room to themselves, with Ignis and Gladio’s across the hall from them. Gladio dropped his and Ignis’ things in their room before walking back across the hall to check in on Noctis and Prompto. ‘How’s the tomato kid?’ he asked when Noctis opened the door for him.

‘Whiny, but probably good to live for a few more years at least,’ Noctis laughed, stepping aside to let Gladio in.

‘Rude,’ Prompto rolled his eyes before flopping back onto one of the beds. ‘Oh man, this is great. It’s almost worth the sting-y skin for a nice, comfy bed.’

‘We could all do with some rest and relaxation,’ Noctis nodded. ‘But, yeah, some of us are probably wound tighter than the rest…’

‘You saying Iggy’s nagging you too much or something?’ Gladio rolled his eyes. ‘Maybe he wouldn’t have to if you all took some sort of care of yourselves.’

‘Gods, you’re like our mom and dad,’ Prompto huffed. ‘I didn’t _mean_ to get sunburned, ok?’

‘Yeah, well, maybe you can learn from this and not let it happen again,’ Gladio snorted. ‘I bet Iggy’s down in the shop fussing over which ointment will be best for you.’

‘I’m not sure if I should take offense to that or not,’ Ignis entered with a small paper bag in hand. ‘I am well-versed in proper sunburn care thanks to the prince of carelessness here,’ he regarded Noctis sternly. ‘I take it you’ve been planning the evening?’

‘Naw, Gladio’s just been giving us the _take care of yourselves for once_ lecture so you don’t have to,’ Prompto yawned. ‘Why, did you have something in mind you wanted to do?’

‘I was hoping to replenish my spice supply while we’re here, and possibly get a meal I don’t have to cook for once,’ Ignis smiled, looking to Gladio. ‘I have a feeling these two would like to have some time to settle in given how tired they’ve been complaining they are; would you like to accompany me, Gladio?’

‘Sounds like a treat,’ Gladio grinned. ‘You two gonna be good on your own for a few hours? We can bring you back some eats.’

‘Naw, we’ll head out to eat after the sun goes down,’ Noctis shook his head. ‘Don’t worry about us; you two go out and have some fun for yourselves for once.

‘I’m not certain if I should be suspicious or not,’ Ignis raised an eyebrow at the two young men in front of him, his expression mistrustful. ‘Just what are you plotting?’

‘Nothing,’ Noctis employed his most innocent tone. ‘Just take some time for you, Ignis. Have a good time.’

Ignis still didn’t look like he quite trusted his charge but allowed it without comment. He smiled at Gladio. ‘Ready?’

‘Always,’ Gladio nodded. He gestured for Ignis to exit first. ‘Lead the way.’

Noctis waited until they left the room to turn to Prompto with a grin. ‘That was way easier than I thought it’d be.’

‘Yeah, but now what? How do we like, you know, turn it into a date instead of just a shopping trip?’ Prompto frowned, heading over to the window to look out, spying Ignis and Gladio exiting the Leville and setting off in the direction of the spice market.

Noctis followed him over, looking down at his friends and retainers with a smile. He clapped Prompto on the shoulder and grinned. ‘C’mon, Prom. You and I are going on a stealth mission.’

‘Awesome!’ Prompto grinned back at his best friend. ‘Let’s do this!’

They exited the Leville, blinking into the evening light, and Noctis paused, holding out his arm to stop Prompto leaving. ‘Ok, so, follow my lead, ok? We’re gonna have to be subtle and make sure they don’t see us. Otherwise it won’t work.’

‘They have to think it’s their own idea, right?’ Prompto nodded sombrely, noting that their friends were rather stubborn when it came down to it. He’d hate for that to get in the way of their happiness.

‘Right,’ Noctis led the way to the market, careful to look around every corner to make sure Ignis and Gladio hadn’t veered away from their intended destination. He knew he probably looked ridiculous to anyone who might be looking at him, but he didn’t care. Ignis and Gladio had been doing so much for him for practically his whole life; it was about time he returned the favour.

They made their way to the market, rather slower than they would have had Noctis not been obsessively checking around every alley corner on the way, and their eyes fell on Gladio and Ignis almost immediately, ducking behind a spice stall so they wouldn’t be seen, watching around the corner as they talked to the vendor selling a variety of herbs and spices.

Really, Noctis thought as he watched them, they looked like a couple already. Gladio stood very close to Ignis’ side, occasionally giving a gentle nudge to Ignis’ arm or giving a light touch to the small of his back to get his attention to show him something that might interest him. Ignis seemed to gravitate to Gladio’s side too; not generally straying too far away as they moved through the market stalls, Noctis and Prompto hot on their tails but hiding from sight.

Noctis nudged Prompto as Gladio leaned in to whisper something into Ignis’ ear, something that made Ignis chuckle and shove at Gladio’s chest gently, as though giving him a joking reprimand.

‘I wonder what he said,’ Prompto smiled. ‘But whatever it was, it’s making Ignis so happy, look!’

Ignis was indeed smiling widely as he turned towards a pickle stall, eyeing the jars with interest, Gladio following along leisurely. Noctis saw his chance to try and steer this further towards being a date and ducked carefully towards a stall he figured they would be visiting fairly shortly and beckoned the girl manning it over.

‘How can I help you today?’ she asked brightly, eyes crinkling as she smiled at him.

‘I, uh, have a weird request,’ Noctis felt stupid even asking this, but he knew he’d never get anywhere without trying. ‘You see those two?’ he pointed at Ignis and Gladio, waiting for her to follow his eyeline and nod. ‘Could you, uh, could you maybe tell them you think they’re a really cute couple?’

The girl looked confused for a minute before laughing. ‘I’m gonna admit, I was worried for a minute you’d be a weirdo trying some sort of creative way to ask me out. Happens a lot. I mean, yeah, that’s a weird request, though, but I’m happy to help you out. Are they your friends?’

‘Yeah,’ Noctis smiled. ‘We uh, we just want their date to go well.’

The merchant smiled. ‘Yeah, I can help you out with that. Look out, they look like they’re coming this way.’

‘Thanks,’ Noctis nodded at her hastily before ducking out of sight around the next stall over, finding Prompto there.

‘So?’

‘Hopefully this’ll give them a nudge in the right direction, at least,’ Noctis shrugged, chancing a look around the stall to find Ignis and Gladio chatting merrily with the merchant girl and Noctis almost let out a loud gasp when Gladio laughed heartily and put an easy arm around Ignis’ shoulders, squeezing for a moment before letting go. Prompto stepped on his foot and Noctis shot him an apologetic look.

‘Don’t get us caught now, I think it’s working!’ Prompto smiled, watching Gladio take the shopping bags from Ignis to carry them, refusing to hand even a single one back, even as Ignis playfully tried to reach around him to snatch them back. ‘Holy crap are they ever flirting it up _hard_.’

‘Good,’ Noctis motioned for Prompto to follow him as he snuck around the stall behind them, careful keep the pair in their sights but remaining unseen. Noctis shot a thumbs up to the merchant girl as he passed, earning himself a smile and a nod.

They followed them around the various stalls, Noctis employing the help of a few more merchants to point out what a lovely couple they made, even having one nudge Gladio into buying Ignis a new spice bottle set _for his handsome date_. Their efforts seemed to be fruitful, as Gladio and Ignis seemed to gravitate ever closer to each other while they finished perusing the stalls’ wares and headed towards the rest of the town once again.

‘Where d’you think they’re headed?’ Prompto whispered as they followed the pair out of the market, careful to keep a safe amount of distance between them.

‘I guess we’re going to find out, right?’ Noctis shrugged, following them towards the edge of town and out to the outlook where Ignis had parked the car. Noctis and Prompto hung back, knowing there was not much cover for them in the area, only daring to creep forward when Ignis and Gladio seemed to have been gone for much longer than it would take to simply drop their purchases off in the Regalia.

They peeked over the stone ledge towards the car and frowned at each other when they saw that Ignis and Gladio weren’t anywhere near it. They looked around for a minute, finally spotting them standing together by the edge of the outlook, looking down at the Disc of Cauthess.

‘If they weren’t feeling the romantic vibe before, they must be by now,’ Prompto said, eyeing the decidedly romantic view of the sunset over the Disc. ‘Holy crap that’s beautiful.’  He fumbled around for his camera, snapping a few pictures of the sunset for himself.

‘Heh, yeah,’ Noctis watched his two friends stand side by side, appearing to be having a quiet conversation as they looked out on the sunset on the horizon. He nudged Prompto when Gladio reached over to put a hand to the small of Ignis’ back briefly, leaning in to say something into his ear, something that made Ignis chuckle and jut out his hip, bumping Gladio away playfully. ‘Part of me wonders if they’re fucking with us.’

‘I mean, they’ve been friends for so long, right?’ Prompto shrugged, looking at the easy way Gladio and Ignis simply existed next to one another with a smile. ‘What if they’re just so comfortable and used to each other that this just seems… normal to them?’

‘Hmm, maybe,’ Noctis watched a photographer, one who seemed to be making a living offering photographs to tourists approaching the pair. They spoke for a moment, Gladio and Ignis seeming to agree to get a photo taken, Gladio pulling Ignis close to his side with a strong arm around his waist, both of them smiling widely as the photo was taken. The photographer handed Gladio the instant photograph. Ignis reached out for the photo, looking at it intently for a moment before smiling up at Gladio and nodding, stowing the photo in the inside pocket of his jacket.

‘Looks like it’s going well,’ Prompto noted brightly before they needed to duck out of sight again so Ignis and Gladio could come back up the steps and head back towards town without seeing them hiding away in the growing shadows.

‘I hope so,’ Noctis led the chase again, creeping along behind Ignis and Gladio, who appeared to be headed towards one of the bistros for some dinner.

‘Oh em gee! Look!’ Prompto whacked Noctis in the arm as Gladio’s hand brushed against Ignis’ before Ignis took it with a small smile and squeezed it before letting go as they came upon a bistro with tables set up outside. Gladio waved to the hostess, who gestured for them to select one, which they did, Gladio pulling a chair out for Ignis before sitting down in his own.

‘Dude’s single-handedly keeping chivalry alive,’ Noctis said, impressed. ‘Damn, looks like they might be clueing in, huh?’

‘About damn time,’ Prompto nodded, sappy grin plastered over his face. ‘Dude, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before, holy shit, look at that chemistry.’

‘Yeah, I think they’ve been hot for each other for as long as I can remember,’ Noctis shrugged as the waitress arrived with a bottle of wine that Ignis seemed to be delighted about. The waitress poured it for them before bustling off to enter their order to the kitchen, leaving Ignis and Gladio to clink their glasses together, Ignis saying something that made Gladio chuckle and reach out with his foot to tap Ignis’ calf lightly.

Noctis and Prompto watched them from afar as they chatted merrily while waiting for their food, Ignis’ eyes lighting up as his chosen dish arrived. Noctis snorted. ‘Gods, only Specs could look that happy about salmon and vegetables.’

‘Yeah, that’s our Iggy though,’ Prompto had been about to say more but broke off with a strangled sound as Ignis reached over to feed Gladio a bite of the salmon, accepting a bite of Gladio’s steak in return. ‘Oh em gee, they are so darn cute! Do they know? They have to know!’

‘I dunno, but I think it’s working,’ Noctis smiled softly. ‘If they don’t realise how hard they’re flirting with each other right now, well, I dunno if there’s any help for them without us beating them over the head with the obvious.’

‘Should we… I don’t know, leave them to it?’

Noctis shrugged. ‘I mean, probably. It’d be creepy to keep following them around and all but…’

‘I kinda wanna know how this goes,’ Prompto agreed with a solemn nod. ‘Ok, just a bit more quiet surveillance, then.’

They watched the pair finish their meal and the bottle of wine, bringing a pink flush to both pairs of cheeks. Gladio leaned in to whisper something to the waitress when she and a busser came to collect their plates and she nodded with a smile before sweeping back off inside.

‘Oh wow, is Ignis drunk?’ Prompto snickered quietly, eyeing the rosy cheeks and somewhat sloppy smile on Ignis’ face.

‘Maybe a bit tipsy, yeah,’ Noctis joined him in laughing as Ignis laughed rather heartily at something Gladio had said. ‘But holy shit is it helping, look!’

Ignis reached out to brush some hair out of Gladio’s face, his expression beyond tender. The expression only softened further as the waitress returned with a pair of coffees and a delightful-looking lava cake. Ignis murmured something to Gladio as she left again that brought a deeper blush to Gladio’s cheeks.

‘Oh look, they’re sharing,’ Prompto practically squealed. ‘It’s like something out of a romcom! Or like, one of those princess movies for kids, it’s so wholesome.’

‘Gods, you’re super into this,’ Noctis chuckled at his friend’s enthusiasm. ‘Are you a twelve-year-old girl or something?’

‘Nothing wrong with loving a little love in the air,’ Prompto stuck his tongue out at him. ‘Oh man, they’ve got it bad though, their faces are so sappy.’

‘Oh shit I hope this works and they tell each other how they feel finally,’ Noctis rolled his eyes. ‘They’ve been tiptoeing around this for like ever. I just never really thought of tricking them into a date together before.’

‘Hmm, looks like they’re getting ready to pay… we should head back to the room so they don’t suspect anything,’ Prompto frowned.

‘Yeah, come on,’ Noctis lead the way around the bistro and back towards the Leville. ‘We can watch from the window and see how things’re going.’

Prompto nodded and followed Noctis back to the hotel and up to their room, both of them crowding at the window to look out into the streets, keeping an eye out for their returning friends. ‘Huh, they’re taking a long time… d’you think they went somewhere else?’ Prompto asked after a few minutes of waiting.’

‘There they are,’ Noctis pointed to the pair returning with a brown bag in Gladio’s hand, Ignis’ held in his other, much to the pair watching’s delight. ‘Why’re they stopping?’

They watched as the pair slowed to a stop near the entrance to the Leville, appearing to be taking in the night air and the soothing quiet of the empty plaza. Prompto nudged him as Gladio turned to Ignis, releasing his hand in favour of cupping Ignis’ pink cheek. He moved his hand down, taking gentle hold of Ignis’ chin to pull him into a soft kiss.

‘Oh. Em. Gee!’ Prompto squealed excitedly. ‘It worked dude, it worked! Aww, that’s so cute! Look at how happy Ignis is!’

Noctis loved the happiness he could see on his friend and mentor’s face, shining radiating brightness out of his sharp green eyes as he led Gladio back into the Leville. ‘I can’t believe it worked. Holy shit, dude, this is awesome.’

‘We’re amazing,’ Prompto clapped his friend on the shoulder before yawning and stretching. ‘Well, should we go get some grub before we turn in?’

‘I guess so,’ Noctis stretched as well, pausing mid-stretch when Ignis’ distinctive sharp rap on the door sounded. ‘Come in, Specs.’

Ignis and Gladio entered with the paper bag in hand. ‘We thought you might like to have something to eat before bed, but also understand that both of you are tired, so we decided to deliver today.’

‘I think he’s spoiling you guys, and don’t get used to it either,’ Gladio added with a grin, earning himself a scathing eyeroll from Ignis.

‘Why, you gonna get jealous or something?’ Prompto excitedly accepted the bag and looked in, spying a pair of delicious-looking sandwiches. ‘Oh man, these look delish!’

‘Gladio is plenty spoiled enough himself,’ Ignis said quietly, causing Gladio to let out a chuckle.

‘Oh, I guess,’ Gladio allowed. ‘You’re really gonna have to be careful, Iggy. We’re all gonna become brats.’

‘You say _become_ as if it hasn’t already happened,’ Ignis dodged out of the way of both Gladio’s and Noctis’ playful punches.

‘So how was your outing? Anything, uh, cool or interesting happen?’ Prompto probed less-than-subtly, earning himself a burning glare from his best friend. He shrugged; no changing what he’d said now.

‘It was a lovely evening, actually, yes,’ Ignis smiled. ‘We tried one of the newer bistros in town. Do let me know if you enjoy the takeout sandwiches; we can all go together tomorrow if you like it.’

‘Oh, we wouldn’t want to interrupt –’ Prompto broke off sharply when Noctis stepped on his foot.

‘What, you think we gossip about you while you’re not around or something?’ Gladio teased. ‘I mean, you’re not wrong, but I think we’ll live without the opportunity.’

Noctis laughed. ‘It’s not like you don’t make fun of us to our faces too.’

‘Fair enough,’ Gladio winked. ‘Ok, I need a shower, and I bet Iggy wants one too. So we’ll leave you to dinner. Need anything else before we turn in?’

‘No, this is great, thanks,’ Noctis shook his head. ‘I’m sure you guys have better things to do than _spoil_ us any more than this.’

Gladio and Ignis both chuckled as they bade them goodnight and left the room, going across the hallway to their own. Noctis turned to Prompto with a roll of his eyes. ‘Gods, could you be _any more_ obvious than that?’

‘Sorry, I got excited,’ Prompto looked abashed.

‘It’s cool, they don’t seem to know what we did,’ Noctis told him kindly. ‘Maybe one day we can even tell them it’s thanks to us they got together. Maybe at their wedding speech or something.’

‘Aww, I can’t wait to see that,’ Prompto tried a bite of his sandwich and smiled. ‘Damn, this turned out to be a pretty good day, didn’t it?’

‘Yeah,’ Noctis agreed. ‘We’re like, the best matchmakers ever.’

 

* * *

 

‘Why do I get the feeling they’re up to something?’ Ignis asked Gladio as they exited the Leville and walked into the evening lit plaza. He looked around and smiled; Lestallum truly was a lively and charming city. The buildings all had a robust character about them, and the people even more so. He smiled sideways at Gladio. ‘Well, whatever it is, I’m sure they can’t get into too much trouble within the confines of the city.’

‘I dunno, Iggy, have you _met_ them?’ Gladio laughed, falling into step next to Ignis as he walked towards the spice market.

‘Fair point,’ Ignis laughed, leading the way into the spice market and taking in a deep breath. ‘Ah, don’t you love the smells here?’

‘I love that you love it,’ Gladio put a hand to the small of his back to steer Ignis through the small crowd of people towards the first stall. ‘I like seeing you smiling and less worried like this. Shit’s sucked a lot lately, and I don’t like the way it stresses you out.’

‘As if it’s not affecting us all,’ Ignis rolled his eyes, looking over a few of the spices for sale with a frown. ‘I see you worrying as well, Gladio.’

‘Yeah, but no one’s got it down to an artform like you, Iggy Bear,’ Gladio smirked at the light nudge Ignis gave him before becoming completely distracted by a rather rare spice he was beginning to run low on with all the fish Noctis had been catching them lately.

‘Huh, speaking of worrying, looks like the kids are following us around, don’t look now though, they think they’re being sneaky,’ Gladio steered him towards the next stall. ‘Heh, it’s like we’re parents on a date and the kids are following to make sure we’re having fun. Well, I mean, we are kinda on a date, aren’t we?’

‘You make every day feel like a date, dearest,’ Ignis murmured, paying for the spices with a smile and a thank you to the merchant.

‘Hm, maybe I should start trying to end every day like a date too,’ Gladio whispered into his ear. ‘Think the other two’ll mind if we kick them out of the tent for twenty minutes every night?’

‘Incorrigible idiot,’ Ignis fake-shoved Gladio in the chest in a joking reprimand. ‘Are the few moments of mind-blowing alone-time we do get not sufficient?’

‘Sufficient, yes,’ Gladio allowed, following him to the pickle stall. ‘But not nearly enough for me to get my real fill of you.’

‘I’d be loath to disagree,’ Ignis smiled, examining a jar of pickled beetroots interestedly before putting it down, figuring it was pointless to try tricking Noctis into enjoying a root vegetable. ‘Have you any interest in some of these?’

‘Naw, I’m not big on pickles,’ Gladio shrugged. ‘I prefer your fresh cooking.’

‘Flatterer,’ Ignis followed him to the next stall, one being managed by a lovely, sunny-dispositioned girl who greeted them warmly.

Ignis selected a few of the spices she had for sale and moved to pay for them, smiling as Gladio was already pulling out some of their gil for him.

‘Thanks a bunch!’ the girl put their purchases into a bag for them. ‘And can I just say, you guys make an adorable couple. Like, for reals. Just perfect.’

Gladio laughed and put an arm around Ignis’ shoulders and squeezed. ‘All the adorableness is taken care of by this guy right here.’

‘And this one’s in denial,’ Ignis teased before thanking her again and leading Gladio towards the next stall, protesting when Gladio snatched up the airy-light shopping bags from him to carry. ‘Come now, Gladio, they aren’t even heavy.’

‘Noct said you need spoiling, so I’m spoiling,’ Gladio kept the bags out of Ignis’ half-hearted reach. ‘Not that I need Prince Charmless’ advice on how to treat you.’

‘You truly are a chivalrous knight in shining, well, leather,’ Ignis eyed Gladio’s trousers with a mischievous glint in his eyes. ‘Leather I’m hoping to remove from you when we return.’

‘Hm, I was hoping you’d say that.’

They went by many more stalls, growing slightly puzzled by the sheer number of merchants seemingly intent on telling them how lovely a couple they were. Suddenly, as one of the merchants was telling Gladio how much his _handsome date_ deserved a new set of spice jars, it dawned on Ignis just what was going on.

‘This is Noct and Prompto’s doing,’ he murmured to Gladio after he paid for the spice jars. ‘I’m unsure what they hope to achieve here, but it’s the only reason I can seem to find for all these shopkeepers’ sudden interest in our relationship.’

‘Huh, I wonder if they don’t know we’re already a thing and are trying to set us up,’ Gladio shrugged. ‘Sound like something those two morons would do: try and trick people into dating, who are, you know, already dating.’

‘Although the sentiment is rather sweet,’ Ignis finished browsing the spices and, content with his purchases, turned to Gladio. ‘Ready for dinner?’

‘Yeah, let’s just toss these in the car and check out the view first,’ Gladio smiled. ‘I hear it’s pretty romantic.’

‘Lovely,’ Ignis nodded. ‘Keep an eye out for the other two and make sure Prompto isn’t over-exerting himself while they play spies.’

‘Something tells me he’s feeling just fine and played up the sunburn to get us here,’ Gladio laughed, leading the way out of the market, watching Noctis and Prompto sneak rather poorly behind them out of the corner of his eye. ‘Either they planned all along to do this and try setting us up on a date, or they just wanted a break and are now amusing themselves with us as the entertainment.’

‘While I can’t say I appreciate the trickery in getting us here, the amount of affection behind it is heartening. Oh my, the sunset is rather pretty from here,’ he added in surprise as they neared the overlook where Ignis had parked.

‘Yeah, let’s take a few minutes to look at it after we drop this shit off,’ Gladio led the way down the stone steps and towards the car, waiting for Ignis to unlock it so he could toss the bag of spices onto the seat. He looked around, noticing that Noctis and Prompto had hung back and were out of sight and leaned in to press a gentle kiss to Ignis’ lips. ‘To tide me over while they’re spying. I say we fuck with them a bit and let them think their plan is working.’

‘Oh you big buffoon,’ Ignis said affectionately.

‘Aw, c’mon, it’ll be fun, and it lets them feel good about themselves for a bit,’ Gladio led the way over to the overlook’s edge. ‘Wow, it really is beautiful. Look at the disc.’

‘Truly spectacular,’ Ignis agreed.

‘Really can’t compare to you, though,’ Gladio touched the base of Ignis’ back lightly, leaning in to whisper the sappy words into his ear.

‘Flatterer,’ Ignis bumped him away with his hip playfully. ‘Do you really think me that easy?’

‘I mean, at this point, you are for me,’ Gladio smirked, nodding at an approaching photographer. ‘How’re you doing this evening?’

‘I’m excellent, my friends,’ the photographer nodded. ‘Visiting the area? How about a picture to remember your visit? No charge, I just like making people smile.’

‘Sounds great,’ Gladio tugged Ignis to his side with an arm around his waist, liking how easily Ignis fit against his side, as though he were custom made to be there. They posed for the photograph, Gladio taking a moment to give a gentle squeeze before releasing Ignis to accept the photo from the photographer with a smile and a _thanks_ before the photographer wandered off to the next pair of people. ‘Iggy, how do you always look so gorgeous in pictures?’

Ignis took the photograph to inspect it and smiled. ‘So you say without paying heed to how undeniably handsome you always are.’ He stowed the photo in the pocket inside his jacket. ‘Ready to eat?’

‘Yea, I’m starving,’ Gladio led the way towards the stairs, snorting quietly when he caught sight of Prompto and Noctis hastily ducking out of sight as they approached. ‘They’re still following us around.’

‘Well, it certainly could be worse,’ Ignis shrugged. ‘They could be getting up to a great deal more trouble elsewhere.’

‘True,’ Gladio made to grab Ignis’ hand before thinking better of it and stopping himself just as his fingers brushed against Ignis’. ‘Sorry, Iggy, I know how you feel about PDA.’

Ignis chuckled and grabbed Gladio’s hand and gave a squeeze. ‘For you, Gladio, I don’t mind. And there are far worse things in the world than holding hands with you.’

‘Aw, Iggy, don’t make me blush,’ Gladio waved at the hostess of a new bistro Ignis had expressed interest in trying out, smiling at her when she gestured for them to select a table out on the terrace. He pulled out a chair for Ignis with a gallant smile.

‘And they say chivalry is dead,’ Ignis smiled softly.

‘Not if I have anything to say about it,’ Gladio chuckled, accepting the pair of menus from the waitress and quietly ordering a bottle of Ignis’ favourite wine while the bespectacled advisor was distracted with his menu, pleased to get a chance to surprise him for once.

Gladio selected what he wanted fairly quickly and settled himself in to watch Ignis carefully scan through his options instead. He admired the way the setting sun played off the highlights in Ignis’ fair hair, shining almost golden in places and seeming to radiate much of the warmth Gladio knew he held in his very soul. He watched emerald eyes, so sharp and focussed as they darted around the page, never for a second confused by how he could get lost in those eyes for hours. He felt himself getting lost in the shimmering green that reflected the glow of the setting sun, feeling the rest of the world simply slip away as he watched Ignis read the menu.

Ignis looked up at him and smiled. ‘Staring is quite impolite, you know.’ He closed the menu and set it down on top of Gladio’s.

‘Can’t help it,’ Gladio grinned. ‘You pretty much glow on a normal day, but in a sunset, damn, Iggy. You’re just magical.’

Ignis was about to reply but the waitress arrived with a bottle of his favourite wine and a pair of glasses, pouring it for them and pulling out her notepad. They ordered and she swept off with the menus, leaving them alone on the terrace again. Ignis took a sip of wine and smiled. ‘Gladio dearest, you never cease to amaze.’

‘Surprise,’ Gladio chuckled. ‘You were really into the menu so I ordered for us. I think you’re long overdue for a good dose of spoiling. Grabbing a bottle of wine is really the least I can do.’

‘If I didn’t know this was all out of love, Gladio, I’d think you were trying to bribe me into what you already know will be quite the treat later tonight,’ Ignis smirked when Gladio’s foot reached out to tap his leg playfully. ‘I’m quite looking forward to reciprocating.’

‘I don’t need to get you drunk to get you to loosen up for me,’ Gladio winked. He smiled at the soft expression that settled onto Ignis’ face after he was finished laughing. ‘I love this, when it’s just you and me. Noct and Prompto are fun and all, but they stress you out way too much.’

‘Mm, speaking of, are they still spying on us?’ Ignis glanced sideways, looking for the telltale redness of Prompto’s usually pale skin.

‘Probably,’ Gladio shrugged. ‘They might’ve gotten better at hiding though. Don’t worry about them, they’re fine.’

‘The mother hen in me has me always worried about all of you, you know,’ Ignis smiled. ‘I manage. It’s less stressful in the city for certain; there aren’t any daemons here hellbent on skewering any of us.’

‘Yeah, that’s a bonus,’ Gladio chuckled as the waitress arrive with their food. He smiled at how excited Ignis looked about his plate, loving that he was finally getting the opportunity to just relax and not have to worry about everyone for a few hours. He nodded at the waitress, who smiled and left them, before taking a bite of his steak. ‘Shit, this is delicious. How’s yours?’

‘Try for yourself,’ Ignis took a piece on his fork and held it out for Gladio to try.

‘Oh man that’s great!’ Gladio held out his fork with a piece of steak for Ignis. ‘Try.’

‘Mm, delightful. A fitting choice of meal for you,’ Ignis smiled mischievously. ‘Delightful and meaty.’

‘I’ll show you meat later.’

They finished their meals and the bottle of wine, chatting companionably and occasionally making a flirtatious quip in between topics of conversation. Gladio watched as a delightful flush crept up onto Ignis’ cheeks from the wine. ‘Good wine?’

‘Delightful,’ Ignis smiled. ‘I should check if they have takeout and we can bring some to Noct and Prompto.’

‘Yeah, we’ll get them something on the way out,’ Gladio said airily, smiling at the table busser who came to retrieve their empty plates, the waitress not too far behind. Gladio leaned in to quietly order them some dessert while Ignis was once again distracted, this time by some bird that had landed across the patio. ‘It’s pretty, isn’t it?’

‘A lovely shade of amber plumage,’ Ignis nodded. ‘Reminds me of your eyes.’

‘Aww, that wine’s making you all sentimental, huh?’

‘Not the wine, Gladio, you,’ Ignis reached out to brush Gladio’s hair out his face to get a better view of the amber eyes he loved so much. ‘You know I love you, even if I don’t say it nearly enough.’

‘Aw, you say it plenty,’ Gladio smiled softly. ‘But I’ll never get tired of hearing it.’

Ignis pulled his hand back as the waitress returned, setting down a pair of coffees and a single molten chocolate lava cake with a pair of spoons. She wished them a happy dessert before leaving them to it. Ignis, completely blown away by the loving gestures from Gladio this evening looked up and smiled. ‘I’ve said it before, and I know I’ll say it again, you are the sweetest, most perfect man in the world. I can’t be certain how I’ve gotten so lucky, but whatever I’ve done to deserve you, I will do it again a million times over just to keep you mine.’

Gladio felt himself blush under the weight of Ignis’ sincerity but smiled. ‘Everyone else might see a tightly wound perfectionist, but I get to see the gooey soft interior and I love it.’

‘Are you referring to me or the cake?’ Ignis chuckled, grabbing a spoon and cutting into the cake, allowing the molten chocolate to leak out.

Gladio laughed and grabbed the other spoon. He took a bite and sighed. ‘Oh wow, this is almost as good as yours. But nothing compares to your cooking.’

‘Flatterer,’ Ignis still smiled at the compliment. He took another bite. ‘This is _quite_ delicious.’

They finished their dessert and coffees as the sun began to fully set, giving way to darkness that stood no match to the street lights of Lestallum. Gladio put in their to-go order for Noctis and Prompto and got the bill, looking back to Ignis after the waitress left again to find him chuckling. ‘What’s up, Iggy?’

‘Looks like they’ve _finally_ tired of spying and are headed back to the hotel,’ Ignis nodded towards the backs of two distinctive retreating figures.

‘Bout time,’ Gladio joined in the chuckles. ‘It was starting to get creepy. Although, can’t say I blame them, I can’t seem to keep my eyes off of you, so I get it.’

‘Don’t be surprised later when the ramifications of all your teasing this afternoon catch up to you, dearest,’ Ignis smirked.

‘Your idea of consequences is alright by me, hot stuff,’ Gladio winked. He smiled at the returning waitress and accepted the takeout bag. ‘Thanks so much.’

‘Thank you,’ she accepted their payment. ‘Can I just say you two are the perfect couple. How long have you been married?’

‘Not married yet,’ Gladio chuckled.

‘Well you act like you’ve been together forever and it’s beautiful,’ she smiled. ‘Have a good evening.’

‘Thanks, you too,’ Gladio nodded and stood up, waiting for Ignis to do the same. He began walking towards the Leville, but paused when Ignis’ hand crept into his own as he fell into step beside him. ‘Twice in one day? I’m being spoiled,’ Gladio squeezed before looking at Ignis. His expression was softer than Gladio had seen it in a very long time, or at least since they’d heard of the fall of Insomnia. Gladio loved to see it.

‘You said _yet_ ,’ Ignis intoned quietly as the Leville came into view.

‘Huh?’ Gladio wondered if the wine hadn’t hit Ignis harder than either of them thought.

‘You said we aren’t married _yet_ ,’ Ignis clarified, his expression softening even more as Gladio stopped to smile at him.

‘Iggy, I think marrying you is my inevitable outcome,’ Gladio released Ignis’ hand to cup his cheek. ‘I’m completely stuck being in love with you, not that I’ll ever complain.’

‘Then I look forward to that inevitable outcome,’ Ignis leaned into Gladio’s touch with a smile. ‘You could say it’s as inevitable for me as for you.’

Gladio moved his hand to Ignis’ chin, not caring that they were in public, and pulled him into a gentle kiss. Ignis kissed back for a moment before pulling away, eyes shining with emotion. He took Gladio’s hand again to begin leading him into the hotel. ‘Come inside, Gladio.’

‘I hope that won’t be the last time to say that tonight,’ Gladio murmured as they went up the stairs. He chuckled at Ignis’ roll of the eyes. ‘You know you love me, dirty mind and all.’

‘Somehow, yes,’ Ignis stopped in front of the boys’ door, listening to the sounds of them celebrating. He snorted. ‘They seem to think they’ve tricked us into going on a date. Should we correct them?’

‘Naw, let them think they’re awesome for one night at least,’ Gladio winked as Ignis shrugged and lifted his hand to knock.

Noctis and Prompto were fooling absolutely no one with their carefully innocent expressions when they entered their room. Ignis smiled at the absurdity of them thinking they had been sneaky. ‘We thought you might like to have something to eat before bed, but also understand that both of you are tired, so we decided to deliver today.’

‘I think he’s spoiling you guys, and don’t get used to it either,’ Gladio shot a teasing grin in Ignis’ direction. Ignis rolled his eyes at the lazy teasing attempt.

‘Why, you gonna get jealous or something?’ Prompto practically tore the bag in his excitement to look inside. ‘Oh man, these look delish!’

‘Gladio is plenty spoiled enough himself,’ Ignis decided to tease back, smiling at the quiet chuckle he’d earned for himself.

‘Oh I guess,’ Gladio shot him a surreptitious wink. ‘You’re really gonna have to be careful, Iggy. We’re all gonna become brats.’

‘You say _become_ as if it hasn’t already happened,’ Ignis dodged out of the way of both Gladio’s and Noctis’ playful punches, knowing he was completely right, even if only teasing.

‘So how was your outing? Anything, uh, cool or interesting happen?’ Prompto looked ready to burst with excitement. Ignis saw Noctis shooting Prompto a burning death glare, but the blond simply shrugged at him before turning back to Ignis expectantly.

‘It was a lovely evening, actually, yes,’ Ignis smiled, deciding to indulge the poor pair’s hope that they had helped give them a romantic evening together; it wasn’t altogether untrue, after all. ‘We tried one of the newer bistros in town. Do let me know if you enjoy the takeout sandwiches; we can all go together tomorrow if you like it.’

‘Oh, we wouldn’t want to interrupt –’ Prompto broke off sharply and Ignis noticed that Noctis had stepped on his foot. He wanted to roll his eyes; neither of them were particularly subtle.

‘What, you think we gossip about you while you’re not around or something?’ Gladio apparently also deciding to indulge the two boys’ notions of matchmaking. ‘I mean, you’re not wrong, but I think we’ll live without the opportunity.’

Noctis laughed. ‘It’s not like you don’t make fun of us to our faces too.’

‘Fair enough,’ Gladio winked. ‘Ok, I need a shower, and I bet Iggy wants one too. So we’ll leave you to dinner. Need anything else before we turn in?’ He shot Ignis a burning look that left him no question as to what was awaiting him in that shower.

‘No, this is great, thanks,’ Noctis shook his head. ‘I’m sure you guys have better things to do than _spoil_ us any more than this.’

Gladio and Ignis both chuckled as they bade them goodnight before leaving. The moment the door snapped shut behind them, Ignis’ hands crept up under Gladio’s tank as he turned to wrap his arms around him, smirking up at him. ‘Now about that shower…’

Gladio chuckled and opened the door to their room, tugging Ignis in behind him and capturing his lips in a heated kiss that Ignis returned with enthusiasm. Still connected at the lips, they stumbled blindly towards the shower, Gladio working his way expertly through Ignis’ buttons and belt as they went. Ignis broke away, breathing heavily, to pull Gladio’s tank over his head and shrug off his own shirt, tossing them out through the bathroom door and into the vague direction of the bed.

‘Mm, I love it when you just toss the clothes aside. I know you’re eager then,’ Gladio turned on the water and leaned down to latch his lips onto Ignis’ pulse point, sucking an angry red mark there and delighting in the harsh gasp this earned him. He chuckled against Ignis’ skin when deft hands made quick work of the button and zipper of his trousers, Ignis tugging on them impatiently to get him to step out, a silent demand Gladio was more than happy to comply with. He kicked them off, tugging on Ignis’ until he did the same.

Once they were finally divested of clothes, Gladio steered them both into the shower, chuckling as Ignis pressed in close to try and fit into the tiny space. ‘Ok, maybe this wasn’t the greatest idea ever.’

‘I can think of much worse things to be pressed up against,’ Ignis pressed a kiss under Gladio’s jaw, hands wandering over Gladio’s strong shoulders and down his chest. ‘There’s still enough room in here to accomplish what I want to, at least.’

‘Mm, and what is that?’ Gladio asked around a groan as Ignis’ fingers ghosted along the sensitive flesh on his inner thigh.

‘To spoil my favourite brat,’ Ignis smirked before descending upon Gladio’s chest, following the smooth lines of his tattoo with his lips, nipping and sucking his way to a patiently waiting nipple. He was rewarded with a strangled gasp when he sucked hard on it. He smirked against the hardening little nub before moving on to its twin.

‘Nng, Iggy, I love where this is heading, but I can barely move in here. Can we just hurry up and get the washing part out of the way so we can move this to the bed?’ Gladio grabbed the soap to make his point.

Ignis took the soap and set it back aside with a shake of his head and a mischievous glint in his eyes. ‘You don’t need to move for this portion of the evening, dearest. This is about me spoiling you just a little bit.’

Gladio allowed his lips to be captured in another heated kiss, groaning into it as Ignis’ hand ventured between them and took hold of him and began a steady rhythm of smooth strokes, timed almost perfectly with the movements of their lips against one another. As much as Gladio would have liked to jump right into the fast and fierce plans he had for them for the night, he loved the slow teasing Ignis was currently treating him to.

Under the gentle spray from the shower, Ignis stroked Gladio to full firmness, biting a series of marks into Gladio’s shoulder as he did, drawing out a series of delicious moans from Gladio’s lips. He pulled back with a smirk when Gladio began to try rocking into Ignis’ hand. ‘There we go. Now we can wash up. And then we can proceed to the grand finale of the evening.’

‘You’re a damn tease,’ Gladio grumbled when Ignis removed his hand to grab the soap.

‘You love me anyway,’ Ignis smiled, lathering up his hands and running them up Gladio’s stomach and over his chest. He rubbed a bit more sensuously than was necessary for cleaning, but took some joy in the harsh breaths coming out of Gladio’s mouth as he moved. He grinned when he felt Gladio’s hands, also lathered up, washing his back and sides, and Ignis knew he was impatiently trying to rush them out and into the bed.

‘You can wash your hair in the morning,’ Gladio growled, leaning forward to nip at Ignis’ ear. ‘This teasing’s lasted long enough.’

‘Mm, alright,’ Ignis acquiesced. ‘But I warn you, dearest, the teasing’s only just begun.’

They finished washing and Gladio barely let Ignis dry them both off before he was trying to drag them back out into the room and towards the bed. Ignis mostly allowed it, but stopped before Gladio could fling him onto the bed.

‘Patience, Gladio,’ Ignis tutted, heading to his bag. ‘I promise you, it will be rewarded.’

Gladio huffed and sat on the bed, but offered no further protest, even when Ignis disappeared back into the bathroom for a minute, re-emerging with a pair of dry towels. He smiled at Gladio and laid them down on the bed. Gladio eyed the towels and grinned. ‘This mean what I think it means?’

‘Call it a craving,’ Ignis grinned back saucily and held out a velvet rope. ‘I’ve been having a certain fantasy since I spied the way this bed’s headboard is made,’ he nodded towards the wrought iron bedframe with a small decorative ring at the top of the headboard. ‘If you’re amenable…’

‘Beyond amenable,’ Gladio lay down on top of the towels and shot his sexiest grin over to him. ‘Come do your worst, hot stuff.’

‘Mm, you might regret that,’ Ignis smirked and moved over to the bed. He climbed onto it, straddling Gladio’s chest to tie his much larger hands up securely. He let out a small groan when Gladio leaned his mouth forward to tease him lightly. When he was satisfied Gladio was properly secured he pulled out of range of Gladio’s wandering lips and tongue and smirked. ‘You probably won’t though,’ he amended softly, eyeing the fire the Gladio’s eyes, mirrored in the firm length standing at painful attention between his thighs.

‘Probably not, _gods Iggy, warn a guy_ ,’ he sucked in a shuddering breath as Ignis swallowed down his entire length, giving a hard suck as he dug his nails into the skin over Gladio’s hips, drawing a little blood before pulling back with a vicious grin.

‘Did that feel good, darling?’

‘I won’t complain if you do it again,’ Gladio nudged Ignis’ knee with his thigh. ‘But somehow I think you’re going to make me wait.’

‘Patience is quite the exalted virtue, love,’ Ignis winked. ‘But trust that the wait will be worthwhile.’

‘I trust you with my life every day, babe,’ Gladio reminded him, smiling when Ignis came back to straddle him, leaning over to suck a mark onto his neck. ‘I’m gonna be covered in hickeys tomorrow, aren’t I?’

‘You’re mine and I don’t care who knows it,’ Ignis said quietly, moving over slightly to sink a bite into the base of Gladio’s neck, lips closing around his teeth and sucking, drawing a satisfyingly strangled sound out of his lover.

‘Damn, you’re really pent up, huh?’ Gladio’s chuckle was cut short by Ignis descending upon his lips, biting the bottom one harshly before pulling away, his expression ravenous.

‘You’ve no idea,’ Ignis went back to marking up Gladio’s neck, ensuring a distinctive line ran along each side before moving on to his shoulders and then to his chest.

Gladio thought it was almost reverent the way Ignis’ lips ghosted along his skin before pausing in a different place to nip or suck a mark onto it. He travelled all along Gladio’s chest and down his stomach before moving along to muscular thighs, which really got Gladio going. Not only was the exercise in almost worship of his body quite the ego boost for him, but being tied up while Ignis was free to explore the expanse of his body was one of the hottest experiences in his life. Both he and Ignis had made great use of the velvet rope before, but this was the first time Ignis had been so feverishly precise as he explored all of Gladio’s most sensitive places. Gladio had never seen this level of hunger in his boyfriend before, and it was really working to drive him wild. He was starting to regret letting Ignis tie him up; he was itching to start the tour of all of Ignis’ erogenous zones too.

Ignis finished speckling Gladio’s thighs with harsh red marks and looked up, his eyes glazed over with lust. ‘Are you ready?’

‘Iggy, I’m so ready it almost hurts,’ Gladio’s eyes flicked down to the straining erection between his bruised-up thighs pointedly. ‘You gonna untie me now so I can get you ready to go?’

‘Oh goodness no,’ Ignis grinned before biting his lip. ‘I have yet another fantasy that’s been plaguing me that I would rather like to take a proverbial swing at.’

‘Mm, you gonna give me the fucking of my life?’ Gladio wondered, watching Ignis go red.

‘Not quite,’ Ignis said quietly, reaching for the lubricant. ‘Just… let me know if it starts to be too much.’

Gladio watched curiously as he leaned over again, lips ghosting over the length of his shaft before moving the nibble teasingly at the base. He continued until Gladio’s breathing was back to being loudly uneven before straightening up.

Not quite making eye contact with his lover, he turned to straddle Gladio backwards, leaning forward so their straining lengths were trapped side-by-side between them. He popped open the bottle of lubricant. ‘It’s time to really get started now.’

Ensuring Gladio had a proper view of what he was doing, Ignis reached back and began to prepare himself, letting out a moan as Gladio bucked, seemingly involuntarily into him, sending a burst of pleasure shivering up his spine from the friction.

‘ _Fuck_ , Iggy, this is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,’ Gladio strained against the rope, forgetting he was restrained as he tried to reach out and help, itching desperately to get his hands on Ignis.

‘I was hoping you’d enjoy this as much as the notion pleased me,’ Ignis moaned again as Gladio bucked against him, this time purposely trying to get a reaction out of his lover. ‘Getting impatient?’

‘I never want the show to end, but I also want you so bad, babe,’ Gladio groaned as Ignis inserted another finger into himself, stretching himself out for Gladio and beginning to feel the burning need he knew Gladio was feeling himself.

Ignis hastily added a third finger, finishing his preparation to the symphony of Gladio’s groaned out encouragements, feeling spurred on by just how much Gladio seemed to enjoy the display. He pulled out his fingers and straightened up, turning around to look down at his lover, eyes glazed and expression pleading. ‘Ready, my love?’

‘Six, Iggy baby, _yes_ ,’ Gladio’s voice was pleading for Ignis to take pity on him. So he did.

Straddling his hips, Ignis carefully guided Gladio into his slickened and prepared entrance, moaning softly as he fully sheathed his lover inside himself. Taking a moment to enjoy the lustful and loving expression on Gladio’s face as he looked up at him, Ignis gave a roll of his hips, letting out an even louder moan as Gladio thrust upwards, making direct and practiced contact with Ignis’ prostate. Ignis placed his hands on Gladio’s hips in front of him before moving again, rolling his eyes when Gladio tried to move along with him again.

‘The point of the rope is that you _don’t_ move,’ he reminded him, leaning down to claim his lips in a kiss, hoping that distraction would work to keep him still as he moved once again.

‘I thought the point was to stop me interrupting you while you put on the hottest show in the fucking world for me,’ Gladio whispered against his lips, teeth reaching out to nip at Ignis’ lips, smirking against them when Ignis’s hips rolled faster and harder in response. ‘Please Iggy baby, let me fuck you. I can’t take much more teasing.’

‘In due time,’ Ignis promised, pressing a final kiss to his lips before pulling back and straightening up, setting up a torturously slow pace, teasing Gladio with the movements but offering no relief. He uncapped the lubricant again, pouring some into his hand and taking hold of his own length, watching Gladio’s eyes follow his hand as he began to stroke himself in time with his slow and steady movements.

Gladio let out a frustrated groan, hands straining against the rope again. ‘Gods babe, this is so damn hot, but I just wanna touch you so bad.’

Ignis smirked and increased the pace of his hand but not his hips, moaning softly at the sensation of both his hand and Gladio’s gaze locked onto him. He would never dream of doing this for anyone else, but Gladio unlocked all sorts of primal urges and fantasies within him, and Ignis was simply itching to try them all, especially now he was seeing just how enthusiastic Gladio could be about them. He increased his hand’s speed slightly, bringing himself close, but not quite to the edge. He wasn’t ready for the end yet, and he had plans for how that was going to go.

With a mischievous grin, he leaned over to kiss Gladio again, hands blindly going up to undo the simple knot he had tied, freeing Gladio’s hands. He knew the second Gladio was freed, as he rolled them over with a sharp growl, burying his teeth into the base of Ignis’ neck.

‘You’re so fucking hot, babe,’ Gladio growled against his skin, starting a much faster, rougher pace, smiling when Ignis wrapped his legs around his hips to draw him in deeper. ‘I’m so lucky.’

Ignis could not respond, having devolved into a series of desperate and disjointed moans as Gladio took him apart piece by piece with each hard, deliberate thrust. He bit back into Ignis’ skin, hand venturing between them to take over from Ignis’, feeling a harsh twitch or pulse every time his thrust hit its mark.

Ignis came with an almost startled-sounding moan, shuddering more than Gladio had ever felt before. He pulled back to look at the blankly blissful expression on his boyfriend’s face, increasing his pace again, seeking to follow not to far afterwards.

Just as Gladio felt the blossoming warmth in the base of his belly, signaling the building orgasm, Ignis’ legs tightened around him. He looked down to see Ignis watching him closely. He took in a deep breath, seemingly trying to gather himself enough to speak.

‘Come inside, Gladio.’

The breathy words greeted Gladio’s exploding orgasm as he finished messily inside his boyfriend. Breathing heavily, he reached down to brush Ignis’ hair out of his face, leaning down to kiss his forehead. ‘You’re amazing, Iggy. So Amazing. I love you.’

‘Love you too,’ Ignis managed, lips seeking out Gladio’s, legs still wrapped around his lover’s hips, not quite ready to let him pull out and end the close contact between them.

Gladio kissed him lazily for a bit before straightening up, tapping Ignis’ thigh gently. ‘Come on Iggy, let me out. We’re gonna get stuck together.’

‘That’s fine by me,’ Ignis stubbornly shook his head.

Gladio smiled softly, loving it when Ignis became so petulantly demanding as he wallowed in his post-coital bliss. Still, he didn’t want them to _actually_ get stuck together, so despite many protests, he reached back to carefully peel Ignis’ legs from around him and pulled out slowly, watching the mess spill out after him and onto the towel with a bit to his lip. ‘Fuck you’re hot,’ he repeated, leaning back over to kiss him. ‘I’m so damn lucky.’

‘Mm, you’re not so bad yourself,’ Ignis answered sleepily. ‘We should clean up I suppose. Before I fall asleep.’

‘I got it, babe, don’t worry,’ Gladio rolled off the bed to head into the bathroom for a washcloth. He cleaned himself off before heading back over to the bad to find that Ignis had dozed off. Smiling softly, Gladio crawled over to him, softly cleaning him off, careful not to wake the scarcely-sleeping advisor. When he was satisfied he’d done a good job, he went to toss the washcloth into the sink to deal with in the morning, and returned to gently tug the towels out from underneath Ignis, tossing them aside to deal with later as well. He crawled into bed and pulled the covers carefully over them both before gathering Ignis into his arms, smiling when he sleepily snuggled into Gladio’s chest, murmuring barely-intelligible endearments.

Gladio could barely contain the strong emotions welling up inside him, both after Ignis’ unexpected but _extremely_ welcome treats for him and his sleepy displays of affection. He buried his lips into soft brown hair, inhaling the comforting scent of his boyfriend as he slumbered in his arms. Gladio was rarely afforded the opportunity to catch Ignis asleep, and was excited for the opportunity to just watch him as he relaxed fully, soft and pliant in Gladio’s arms, occasionally snuggling in closer or pressing his lips to a piece of Gladio’s chest in his sleep. Gladio tightened his arms around him, feeling his eyes growing heavy as sleep came to claim him as well. His last thought before drifting off was again about just how lucky he was.

 

* * *

 

Noctis was shocked to find himself as the first person awake. He looked over at Prompto, who was snoring blissfully and _loudly_ , and figured he might just be able to guess why it was he was wide awake before the sun had even fully risen.

He rolled over, grumbling, and closed his eyes, trying to fall back asleep, but was just unable to with the grating sound of Prompto’s snores. With a weary sigh, he sat up, tossing the covers aside and stood up, stretching. He briefly considered tossing something at Prompto to wake him up long enough so he could fall back asleep, but figured he was already wide awake and that would just be a dick move. 

He went to pull on his clothes, wondering if he should go across the hall to see if Ignis was up yet, but paused in the doorway. He wondered how things had gone after he and Gladio had gone into their own room. He wondered if they sat up and talked about their feelings for each other, _finally_ airing them out after so long tiptoeing around it. It felt gross to wonder about it, them being some of his best friends after all, but he wondered if they did more than chastely kiss. Making a face, he shook his head to clear it of that unwanted mental image. Ignis was the most prim and proper person he’d ever known. There was no way he’d ever go that far on a first date, even on a first date with Gladio, whom Noctis was pretty sure Ignis had been in love with since they were teenagers.

He crossed the hall and listened carefully for sounds of movement. When he heard none, he shrugged. He didn’t want to wake them, especially not Ignis if it meant he was finally getting some sleep for once, so he made his way down the stairs alone, nodding at the concierge and making his way out into the dim early sunlight.

He found a café that was open and got himself a giant coffee and an array of sweets he knew Ignis would be horrified by. He passed some time eating and playing King’s Knight, waiting until the sun had fully risen to stand up and stretch. He got some to-go coffees for the others, and a few breakfast pastries Ignis would at least approve of and made his way back to the Leville, somewhat eager to see his friends to see if they might divulge the change he knew had happened in their relationship.

He stopped in his and Prompto’s room first, rolling his eyes when he found Prompto still snoring away. He put his coffee and a croissant down for him on the bedside table, figuring the smell of coffee would probably wake him up quickly enough. He exited once again and crossed the hall, this time hearing the sounds of a shower from the other side of the door. He smiled and knocked, figuring whoever wasn’t in the shower would be up and ready to answer.

Gladio opened the door after a bit of a delay, holding a towel around his waist. He saw the delivery in Noctis’ hands and smiled, stepping aside to let him in. ‘Iggy’s gonna be so touched you went to the trouble to getting that for him.’

‘Specs in the shower?’ Noctis wondered, going to set the coffees down on the bedside table between the two beds like he had for Prompto but paused when he realised there weren’t two. ‘Hey, wait a minute.’

‘Yeah, yeah, I’m gonna put pants on,’ Gladio rolled his eyes. ‘I just drew the short straw and needed to come answer the door.’

‘Wait a minute,’ Noctis repeated, dumbfounded. His eyes scanned the room, eyes falling on a velvet rope tied to the headboard.

‘Gladio, love, are you coming back in?’ Ignis’ voice filtered out through the bathroom door. ‘Or should I get started without you?’

‘Uh, Noct’s here, babe,’ Gladio called back, pulling his pants on and tossing the towel aside. ‘Finish up your hair and get dressed, kay?’

‘ _Wait a minute_ ,’ Noctis turned to Gladio, eyeing him accusingly and spying the series of angry red marks peppered across his torso. ‘We didn’t trick you into going on a date yesterday _at all_ , did we?’

Gladio burst into laughter. ‘Holy shit kiddo, how dense are you two? You didn’t have to follow us around and bribe shopkeepers to tell us we’re cute; Iggy and I have been dating for five years now.’

‘ _Five years_?’ Noctis repeated incredulously. ‘I thought you two were just being idiots dancing around each other and Prom and I would need to trick you into seeing it, but no, you’ve been dating for _five damned years_?’

‘Five years and seven months, to be precise,’ Ignis exited the bathroom, hair wet and wearing only his jeans. Noctis could see much fewer but still noticeable red marks along the base of Ignis’ neck before he pulled on his shirt and buttoned it up to the collar. He smiled at his charge. ‘Now Noct, to what do we owe such an early morning pleasure?’

‘Sounds like you were trying to get a different kind of early morning pleasure,’ Noctis grumbled after a moment of wordless spluttering.

Gladio snorted. ‘Already checked that off the list today, kiddo, not that you needed or even wanted to know that.’

‘Yeah, you’re right, I didn’t really want to know that,’ Noctis frowned. ‘Prom’s snoring woke me up so I went for a coffee run,’ he pointed at the coffees on the bedside table.

‘Oh, that’s very sweet,’ Ignis smiled. ‘Thank you, Noct.’ He chuckled. ‘And I have to say, although unnecessary, your attempt at tricking Gladio and I into a date yesterday was quite caring and appreciated. We _did_ wind up having a wonderful evening.’

‘Yeah, I gathered,’ Noctis eyed the velvet rope darkly again.

Ignis cheeks went pink. He’d forgotten to put that away before heading into the shower, figuring he would have lots of time before either Noctis or Prompto wakened. He coughed. ‘Yes, well… Consenting adults and… and what have you.’

‘You can do whatever you want in your downtime guys… I just… never want to picture it ever again, ok?’ Noctis frowned. ‘You’re kinda like my mom, Specs, I _really_ don’t need this kind of mental image.’

‘I’d rather you not have one either,’ Ignis looked equally as disturbed.

‘You’ll get over it soon enough,’ Gladio said airily. ‘All kids figure out some day or another that they’re parents are sexually active.’ He winked.

‘Ugh,’ Noctis grimaced. ‘I want to go back to thinking Prom and I were the best matchmakers ever. A kiss in the doorway is fine, cute even, if you ask Prom. But no way did I ever intend for or expect full-on bondage.’

‘Trust me kid, that was _far_ from bondage,’ Gladio rolled his eyes. ‘Although, we _did_ bond.’

Ignis chuckled appreciatively at the wordplay, the light joke cutting straight through his embarrassment. He smiled at Noctis. ‘You certainly weren’t wrong, Noct. Gladio and I are indeed the perfect match. But I can’t go so far as to call you the best matchmakers ever. Perhaps the most belated ones.’

Noctis, finally overcoming at least some of his shock and embarrassment laughed along with them. He was happy for his friends, now he knew they hadn’t been painfully pining away for each other all these years, even though he was a little irked that he hadn’t noticed just how close their relationship truly was and had uselessly devised this plan to get them together.

Although, as he thought about it, crossing the hall back into his and Prompto’s room, they _had_ given Gladio and Ignis the chance to have a nice date together. And they certainly seemed to have fully taken the opportunity for intimacy afforded to them in separate hotel rooms. So really, he reasoned, he and Prompto might have been late to the party in figuring out the exact nature of their two friends’ relationship, but they’d still succeeded in setting them up on a pretty awesome date. Noctis smiled. He still thought he and Prompto were the best matchmakers, or in the very least, date planners ever.


End file.
